College

NVL players important at St. Joseph BY ROGER CLEAVELAND REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

Over the past 15 years, the Naugatuck Valley League has produced just two state champions in girls basketball, but that doesn't provide an accurate reflection of the amount of individual talent produced in the valley.

University of St. Joseph women's basketball coach Jack Casey will certainly attest to the skill, passion and competitive desire that can be found here as four of the Blue Jays' five starters this season hail from the NVL.

Senior Devon Diliberto and junior Brianna Ferraro from Holy Cross, senior Mary Hyde from Derby and junior Heather Framski from Woodland combined this season to account for 73.3 percent of St. Joe's points, 79.1 percent of the Blue Jays' assists and 77.8 percent of their steals as well as 55.7 percent of their rebounds.

"This is the third year that all four of us have started together, and I think we have all really picked it up," Framski said.

They are the team's top four players in points, assists and steals as well as four of the top five in rebounds.

"They are definitely contributing an awful lot to our team," Casey said. "They all play a ton of minutes. Bri may be playing the least (28.8 per game) but that is only because she had a little injury problem. Devon, Heather and Mary have all had 40-minutes games. We have been short-handed, and they have done just a great job handling it."

Diliberto finished her career as the second-leading scorer in program history with 1,397 points. This season, she lead the team at 13.5 points per game.

Casey said the 3-point line was merely a suggestion to Diliberto about where the outer limits for shooting are, because she was not afraid to shoot from 25 feet. Even though she is only 5-foot-4, she also wasn't not shy about driving the ball into the lane. Casey said that opposing post players' eyes would get big thinking they had an easy block when they saw her coming, but she has such great balance she would weave through them for baskets.

"She has always been pretty fearless," Casey said. "She knows how to attack and get to the basket against bigger kids. She is always one of the smaller kids playing, but obviously it doesn't stop her from being aggressive. If you judged players pound-for-pound, she would rank right up there because she really competes."

Framski said Diliberto, who was second on the team in assists with 82, is much more than a scorer.

"You will not find anyone who loves the game more than she does," Framski said. "You can tell that by how hard she plays. She will drive into four defenders and take a shot if she has to. She is fearless and will do absolutely anything it takes to win a basketball game. She's extremely competitive."

If Diliberto was the Blue Jays' most passionate player, Hyde may have been the best all-around player. She was third on the team in scoring (11.7) but lead in assists (107) and steals (75) and was third in rebounding (5.9) despite being only 5-foot-7.

"She really does do everything," Framski said. "There is not a second that girl is on the court that she isn't hustling on defense, offense or diving out of bounds to get a ball. She works the hardest by far."

Hyde was a two-year captain and two-time all-conference player in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference for the 12-14 Blue Jays.

"She is a very, very active, smart player and a great kid," Casey said. "She is a great leader who brings a lot of experience to the team and really settles us down. She gets the big steals when we need them and rebounding-wise, she's been huge."

The player who improved the most this year may have been Ferraro. Both her scoring average (11.3) and her assists (72) this season improved by 40 percent over last season. She was fourth in scoring and third in assists and in steals (41), and she was second in 3-pointers (21).

"Bri's outside shooting was really huge for us, and her left-handed ballhandling skills go her to the basket quite a bit," Casey said. "She came on strong this year offensively and learned to be patient and keep her dribble alive."

Framski said Ferraro matured greatly as a player this year.

"She has totally taken charge of the team," Framski said. "She will set up the offense and call plays. She knows where everyone needs to be. She's definitely making a lot of smart decisions."

On a veteran team, the players and coaches thought enough of Framski that they named her one of their captains as a junior. Casey said everyone respects her work ethic. At 5-foot-10, she is routinely 4-5 inches shorter than opposing centers but still averaged 12.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.

"The advantage she has is that she has a really nice mid-range shot she can use against bigger players," Casey said. "She also runs the court great. She is tough. She has a great work ethic, and she has great speed for her size. On and off the court for us, she's kind of a rock."

Casey said he constantly talks to Framski about never conceding to an opposing player just because of the daunting size difference, and she's responded with tremendous confidence and competitiveness.

"To me, size doesn't mean anything," Framski said. "An opponent can be 6-5, but if she doesn't have the heart to want to win, she is not going to beat me. I love that challenge. The taller my opponent is, the harder I know I have to work, and that just fuels me every game."

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